Tapping into Student Philanthropy During a Campus Giving Day: Ducks for Donations

Abstract

To increase the likelihood that an academic library would obtain enough donors to receive a bonus challenge gift during their campus giving day, a librarian created a Ducks for Donations event. This tabling event, held for two or three hours in the library lobby, targeted students by providing them with a rubber duck that they could customize with accessories in exchange for making a donation. Because Ducks for Donations taps into a library tradition in a unique way, is interactive, and helps students connect with one another, the academic library implementing this program received the challenge gift and boosted the number of students contributing to the library during their giving day from 2 to 24 in just two years.